Iratus Vox Zine

  DOOMED & STONED IN RUSSIA: An Introduction To The Scene By Anton Bryukov With prevalent cold weather and a rich history from per-christian folklore to the existentialism of Russian literature and the avant garde art movement of the 1920s Russia has a solid cultural background from which new forms of post-modernist art began to grow. Rock music in general began to shape itself in Russia in the late 1970s. But doom metal came into the country's counter-culture in the very late 1980s. The first few bands at that time played slow Sabbath-sounding heavy metal and epic doom, were not popular yet, but were on a way of becoming a foundation for the early doom-cult. When the '90s began russian doom-death and Gothic doom appeared. The scene was populated by the bands and projects inspired by the gloomy sounds of the european doom-death mainly linked to the Peaceville Trio sound. It was in the later half of the 2000s, when the more traditional sabbath-influenced sounds of stoner and...

Sigil of Time is a side project of two members of the gothic doom metal band "Train to Elsewhere" - Maria K. "Gerard" and Anton "Vargtimmen". She Drowned in this Lake is an archived collection of the project's material recorded between 2009 and 2011, and also includes one new track. The collection is material from three unreleased albums, united by the themes of detachment and emptiness of being. The music is infused with neofolk influences, depressive black metal, dark ambient and industrial elements. Here analog synthesizers, acoustic and electronic guitars, brass ethnic instruments and noise samples have been used, independently recorded for each composition. If we talk about influences, we can name: Autumn, Autumn People, As Autumn Calls, Xasthur, Autumn For Crippled Children, Six Dead Bulgarians, Old Woman Moss, Klever, Majdanek Waltz, Der Golem. Some compositions serve as a frame for Mary's lyric texts such as "South Wind", "Au...

Enigmatic neofolk / dark ambient project of two musicians - Roman Naboka and Sergius Proprius. The idea of ​​creating the project came as a result of cooperation of the main project of Roman "Cherno" with the KRYRART label, which served not only as an impetus for further joint search. The collaboration resulted in the EP "Chapter One: Spirit of the Wind" and in the creation of the sub-label KRYRART AMBIENT ... Alchon´s debut is a polystylistic musical canvas that combines an atmospheric hypnotic dark ambinet, neofolk and spoken recitation, there are also references to gothic rock and the use of extreme vocals. The atmosphere of the music is literally imbued with the pantheistic spirit of nature, pre-storm melancholy, the spirit of freedom blowing across the endless plains of the winds. An excellent combination of atmospheric noise with acoustic instruments can be also noted. Sound-related projects include Mirkwood, Tenhi and the early Tangerine Dream. by Anton ...

  Formed in UK in 1978, this traditional doom metal / NWOBHM act is truly a cult band in every sense of the word. It took them more than a decade to record their debut album Judgement of the Dead (1982). It was certainly worth to wait. This music takes the listener on a journey through British pre-christian Pagan traditions. You become a part of a UK folk-horror classic like “The Wicker Man” or “Blood on Satan's Claw” when you listen to this. Trevor Portch plays the bass. Drums are handled by John Mizrahi. Alan Jones is responsible for the music and the perfectly crafted guitar while his style of playing can be considered on the level of the best masters of classic hard-rock and heavy-metal and is often sadly overlooked by the general rock audience, for whom the bands themes seem too weird and obscure. The guitar is really what makes them sound outstanding. Terry Jones  wrote the occult and pagan themed lyrics and was the vocalist. He passed away in 2015. His vocals are not go...

  The conceptual mini-album of "The Proprius Project" by Sergius Proprius is dedicated to the topic of the man-made disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant that occurred on April 26, 1986. This disaster demonstrated all the naivety of technocratic optimism. The album presents an atmospheric contemplative journey through the abandoned nooks and crannies of the nuclear power plant. Listening to him, one thinks about the ethical, philosophical consequences of such disasters, realizing that they are not only a matter of the past, but, unfortunately, with a high degree of probability of the future. The eschatological atmosphere is stylistically achieved at the junction of old-school industrial and classic dark-ambient. I recall such significant projects for the dark scene as Throbbing Gristle, Raison d'être, Necrosphere. Sergius notes the influence of the work of contemporary composer Akira Yamaoka. Here you can hear multilevel noises, ambient harmonies and dull percussi...

  Trouble's second album «The Skull» is a crucial and hard-hitting, highly technical album. Created in the time when the proto-doom metal sound of the 70's began being reworked by the bands of the heavy metal wave of the early 80's. The result was the incorporation of the NWOBHM style guitar in the classic Sabbath/Pentagram sounding song structure. One of the blueprints of the original Doom Metal sound is the cult and extremely underrated Illinois based «Trouble». The band was formed in 1979 and set out to play gloomy but energetic music. After the 1984 impressive debut «Psalm 9» the band decided to record a follow up «The Skull». It was recorded with Eric Wagner on vocals, Bruce Franklin, Rick Wartell on guitars, Sean McAllister responsible for the bass and Jeff Olson on the drums. This is what most considered «the golden» Trouble lineup. And for a good reason. The riffing and rhythm section on the album are just superb and can be easily compared to the more skilled trash ...

  August 26, 2021 Satanath Records (Russia), Kryrart Records (Germany) and Death Portal Studio (USA) are releasing a new album "Pretium" of international death/black metal band Atra Haeresis. ATRA HAERESIS is an international death/black metal project, performed at the intersection of the styles of the Scandinavian and European ancestors of the genre. The material absorbed the graceful power of brutal riffs, full of melodic lines, filigree united by the atmosphere of chaos. Collaboration of musicians from such projects as ETHIR ANDUIN, OBSCURATION and НАВЬЯРА allowed the material of ATRA ANDUIN STUDIO member to be released into the "PRETIUM". The debut album is the quintessence of thoughts of such topics as: misanthropy, philosophy, history. Therefore, the material is filled not only with a rich musical component, but also with serious lyrics. Cover artwork by Vladimir "Smerdulak" Chebakov. For fans of Behemoth, Belphegor, Dissection, Septicflesh, Rotting ...

  Sigil of Time is a side project of two members of the traditional doom metal band Train to Elsewhere - Maria and Anton. The main concept of the project is transcendental and existential states experienced by a person while communicating with the "dark" and hidden side of nature. This concept unites all the themes of this anthology. The collection includes both early pieces written in the period from 2010 to 2019, and previously unreleased joint works of Maria and Anton, as well as Maria's solo works in 2019. The material, united by a common theme and mood, achieves effect in different ways, combining melancholic rock, neofolk and ambient, black, drone and even funeral doom. But in almost all compositions you will hear atmospheric "heavy" and acoustic guitar, in some places ethnic instruments - flutes, jew's harps, percussion, analog synthesizer noises and samples. If we talk about the creativity that influenced the musicians, then this is a wide horizon, l...

  Imagine a lonely person walking through the valley in the mountains at a rainy or snowing day and thinking about the purpose of life, dreams, eternity and the gods. That's how I would describe "Ghost from the Past", an almost canonically sounding atmospheric black metal album featuring pretty raw middle tempo guitars going through the whole thing supplemented with melancholic lead guitar melodies. Whispering vocals have not get a lot of accent here creating a perfectly matching mood though. The journey through land of beautiful nature and phylosophical reflexions begins with the first track on the album right away creating the right feeling. Nice production with a remarkable raw sound on the album fits well the genre. Nevertheless, there is still some space for development especially in terms of songwriting, since the album is occasionally repetitive. "Ghost from the Past" might be a new good finding for all fans of well crafted atmospheric black metal that ca...

  First of all, the variety and versatility of the music on the album is impressive, because the mood swings and emotional intensity of different parts of the album are changing very rapidly. The depth of the album is in its subtle and difficult to describe atmosphere of many years of epic wandering on the one hand, and the transfer of all the experience gained in them on the other. The variety and crumpledness of sometimes various avalanche-like musical themes resemble compressed emotions, the abundance of which fell on a very short period of time. Nevertheless, if you really imagine an adventure, then on this album you will be able to find mountains in the clouds, and stormy rivers with dense forests on their banks, and the dangers that they conceal in their wilds. In addition, the cornerstone here remains a person in the midst of all this, and the album can be viewed as an allegorical set of images of his perception of reality. by Psychoman

  Despite the severity of the emotions that pass through the album, despite the feeling of hopelessness and sadness that envelop with the music, nevertheless, in spite of everything, some kind of tenderness and romance is felt here. The album as an accompaniment to experiences full of melancholy and all-consuming longing, but still about the beautiful and romantic image that accompanies them. And in some places they are quiet and purely personal, in some places they take on a truly epic scale, but this does not change their essence. by Psychoman

  This is not just a musical accompaniment to a journey through a fantasy world. Here, among the subtlest, beautiful and sensual melodies, a whole universe is born. Just as the pen of a writer is able to bring the whole world to life on paper from the first line, here the very first track opens the gates to a fairy tale. The musical canvas, as a guide, guides the wanderer who has got here through all corners, introduces all the inhabitants, and even says something about local customs. A striking example of modern orchestral music, capable of drawing almost any canvass in front of the listener's eyes. by Psychoman

  Mountains, foggy, high, occasionally covered with snow caps. They are covered with green carpets, and doze, silently peering from the sky. A flock of birds occasionally flies between them, sometimes the sun peeps out from behind the clouds, then hides again, making room for rain. And some mountain peaks are dormant volcanoes waiting in the wings. Some are active volcanoes, periodically flooding their entire foothills with magma, burning everything in their path. But after a storm there is always a calm, and a new storm follows. Heavy rains alternate with iridescent reflections and the omnipresent rays of the sun, and volcanoes, calming down, contemplate further between the silent mountains surrounding them. by Psychoman

Cold wind, whitish snowdrifts, frozen rivers and lakes, gray sky, dark crowns of trees, and a detachment of warriors peering into the distance. They look beyond the horizon, and next to them is an old gray-haired sage, which gives parting words for the long journey ahead. He speaks slowly and confidently, and at this time, inside the harsh and strong men who grew up in the middle of winter, some truly masculine strength grows, capable of protecting, saving, vouching, bearing responsibility. The path of warriors is not easy, sometimes you have to fight, but it only leads to victory. by Psychoman

  The energy of this music does not just flow - it also boils like boiling tar. Sometimes, it seems that the musicians have poured out that swirling stream of emotions that occurs during strong feelings, shocks or strong arousal. Music, like tongues of flame, first licks the skin, and only then makes the inner fire burn more and more. Here is intertwined and drive, and melody, and some kind of even valiant enthusiasm. The music really "ignites", with a strong but positive wave rolls over the listener, now like an avalanche, now it dies down. And behind all this life-affirming energy, like behind a wall of fire, there are numerous feelings. by Psychoman

A very sensual and delicate piece. The intricacies of emotions and thoughts are not only associated with this work, but involuntarily arise during listening. Such a masterful balancing between the diversity of human experiences is worthy of standing ovation, because on the album it was possible to accurately draw, even recreate the deep processes taking place inside a person, while preserving a certain general narrative shade of the picture. And all of them here revolve around one rod, which is associated rather with the concept of some kind of common human wisdom. Sometimes it seems that this is the soundtrack to the story of the character's life.  by Psychoman

The general picture that arises when listening to the album is a modern metropolis with an abundance of cars, people, glass buildings and concrete. It is raining, the picture takes on muted, almost gray tones. In such scenery, the life of a person passes, say, the protagonist, who has a cauldron of emotions inside, conscious under the influence of the environment and people. Of course, the musical theme floats from one emotional shade to another, and everyone very subtly recreates the overall image. Here there is sadness, and anxiety, and experiences bordering on paranoia, and resentment, and loss, and stress, and depression, and simply melancholy. Indeed, a long and cold distance. Nevertheless, despite all the sadness and worries, the feeling of hope does not leave the album.  by Psychoman

Endless space, the spirit of freedom that does not leave for any second the one who came here. Numerous memories of brave deeds and accomplishments complement the feeling that fills the breath of fresh air over the distant hills. Beautiful and sensual melodies will not let you forget about a wonderful fairy tale and freedom, as well as a romantic atmosphere enveloping from all sides. by Psychoman

The “cult” album by Dimmu Borgir, released in 1996, just at a time when the development of black metal was still going along the path of “true” and “underground”. But with this release Dimmu Borgir took black metal to a new stage in their musical evolution, as they did themselves. Adding pianos and keyboards to aggressive and fast black metal was not only a novelty, but also a pretty good idea. Inspired by the classics, Dimmu Borgir created a real masterpiece that simply captivates with its atmosphere and mystical energy. The mixing quality is pretty high considering the year the album was released. Shagrat's guitars and bursting vocals seem to create the backdrop for a great keyboard player. By the way, keyboards simply amaze with their melancholic mood. The drums are beautifully executed, moderately fast, where necessary - slow. All songs are performed in Norwegian, which gives the album originality and memorability. The song Stormblast is a kind of culmination of the album, this...

Ever walked in Dark Water Park? Numerous trees with silent and gloomy crowns look straight into the lake and find their reflection in it. Together, they are part of a park that stretches around a bottomless lake. And everyone who enters this park lives a whole life. Here reality is distorted, it exists as in a crooked mirror, which is reflected in the lake at dusk. The musical canvas perfectly reflects these grotesque distortions of reality, and conveys it in the form of fanciful and intricate plots intertwined around a common theme. by Psychoman